We all start our businesses with great dreams. Owning your own business is an opportunity to achieve a level of success that most of us will never realize in the corporate world. Why then is success so elusive?

Without a doubt there is a huge gap between dreaming about success and actually achieving it. What holds back so many small business owners and entrepreneurs? There are certainly many factors but one of the main culprits is business development.

If you’re a sales manager who runs a team calling on the phone, consider putting up mirrors on the walls to replace all those motivational posters.

According to reports out from Sales & Marketing Executives International, sales teams can increase their productivity by up to 45% if they are looking at themselves in mirrors as they make their calls.

Vanity? Not really. Apparently by looking at oneself in the mirror it counterbalances the one sided nature of cold calling by psychologically introducing ...

Think about it for a moment…how many new people do you meet in a day? And imagine if you were just a bit more proactive in introducing yourself (using some of the scripts/techniques I’ve prepared for you.)…how many more people would you be able to add to your network of relationships?

I did a small experiment the other day. I obviously get my hair cut on a regular basis. But do you actually ask ...

If you sell to corporations, you know that one of the biggest obstacles you face is what I call “Losing Face”.

Your prospect, whether he/she be a purchasing manager or a senior executive, the thing that they’re the most worried about is making a bad decision. In fact, the fear of making a bad decision usually out weighs the benefits that would come from taking the initiative or exploring a new option.

One of the more interesting cold calling tips I’ve ever received is about adaptability. I’ve found that the most effective sales people are students of human emotions. It’s important to realize that we all communicate our feelings in quite different ways. Thus when using the telephone to develop brand new business it’s beneficial to be a bit of a chameleon.

The chameleon is an interesting creature. It has the ability to blend into its environment. From a persuasive emotional perspective that’s ...